The hidden danger of driving: Rain, freezing temperatures lead to increase in potholes

Drivers throughout Collin County are experiencing one of the unwelcome side effects of winter in Texas – potholes.

While the holes are present year-round throughout the roadway system, the constant freezing and thawing of the ground during the winter leads to cracks, which in turn can lead to potholes. The holes are more than a simple nuisance – they can quickly cause thousands of dollars of damage to vehicles.

While new cars have technology built in that makes them safer than ever before, they are also more prone to damage from potholes then cars built several decades ago, said Bill Mathews, an ASE Master-Certified Technician at Sav-Mor Automotive in downtown Plano.

“On older cars you have 14- or 15-inch wheels, but today we are commonly seeing cars with 17- to 20-inch wheels,” he said. “When you do that, the sidewall of the tires is a lot smaller so it cannot absorb all of the energy that is being dished out when you hit a pothole. You end up with more damage to the suspension and to the wheels themselves since they are having to take the shock load.”

Mathews said potholes damage more than the car’s alignment, noting that the rigidity of today’s cars results in bent parts that can be costly to replace.

“When you start bending parts, that is when you start having alignment problems,” he said. “Today’s cars driven on normal roads rarely go out of alignment because of the rigidity of the body. To be honest, hitting little potholes here and there … cars, the way they are built today, can withstand that. But if you just hit a pothole just right, that will do it.”

The construction of the wheels can also make them more susceptible to damage, Mathews said, adding that most wheels today are constructed of some sort of aluminum alloy rather than steel.

While this is done to make the wheel as light as possible, aluminum wheels crack and break when they hit potholes, rather than simply bending and denting as is common with steel wheels. While steel wheels can often be repaired, aluminum wheels typically must be replaced, Mathews said.

Crews from the Texas Department of Transportation are currently busy patching potholes, said department spokeswoman Michelle Releford.

The holes are typically patched in two ways, Releford said. When potholes first appear, crews fill it with cold asphalt in order to temporarily allow the lane to reopen. This fix is intended to last until a more permanent solution can be put in place.

“For permanent areas we saw out enough area [around the pothole], dig out some of the base and subgrade, if necessary, and then fill [the area] in with hot asphalt,” she said. “This is intended to hold until other preventative measures can be scheduled and funded such as seal coats and overlays that can help keep the water out and cover up areas that were previously fixed to extend the life of the pavement.”

Releford said even the permanent fix only has a maximum lifespan of about eight years, but will allow the hole to remain patched until the road is able to undergo additional maintenance and resurfacing.

While crews are working hard, Releford said drivers should not expect potholes to disappear anytime soon.

“We’re going to have potholes all summer depending on how severe the heat and rain are, so it’s really a timeless story,” she said. “[It is an] endless process.”

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